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My grandpa's old brace and bit took me 3 hours to even get started
I picked up my grandpa's old brace and bit from the 1950s last weekend. Figured I could bore some holes in a garden bench I'm building. Well, the auger bit was dull as a butter knife and I spent a full 90 minutes just trying to sharpen it right on a stone. Then the chuck kept slipping on the bit because I was cranking it wrong. I finally got it to bite into some pine after another hour of fiddling with the tension. In total it took me about 3 hours just to drill 4 holes that a modern drill would have done in 5 minutes. Has anyone else fought with an old tool for way longer than it was worth?
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shanelee24d ago
Oh boy, I've been there for sure. The key with those old braces is to make sure the tang is seated all the way in the chuck and you're cranking the collar tight with a wrench, not just by hand. For the sharpening, a mill file is actually way better than a stone for those old auger bits, just follow the factory bevel and you'll get a good edge in about 10 minutes. Once you get the hang of it, they work fine, but that first time is a real test of patience.
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river_allen24d agoMost Upvoted
Oh man, that bit about cranking the collar with a wrench is gospel. I fought with a brace for a whole afternoon once before I figured out hand tight just ain't enough. And you're dead right about the mill file too, I tried sharpening with a stone first and made a mess of the edge. Once I switched to a file and followed the old grind lines like you said, it cut through pine like butter. That first time is a killer though, makes you wonder how anyone ever built a barn with those things.
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